The Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres have developed an intense rivalry over the last few years, with the two teams meeting in the postseason multiple times.
The rivalry goes back to 1969 when the two teams first faced each other, and they’ve played 976 games since. Over the last five years, the Dodgers and Padres have played three playoff series as well.
However, when looking at the rivalries throughout the MLB, Dodgers’ catcher Will Smith pointed in a different direction when thinking of some of the best.
Dodgers’ Will Smith Points To Yankees, Red Sox History
Smith recently joined teammate Mookie Betts’ show, “On Base With Mookie Betts Podcast,” and the two teammates talked about the Dodgers’ rivalry with the Padres.
Smith acknowledged the how the rivalry has grown and gained intensity over the last five years, but he pointed to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox’s rivalry as a more historic battle in the MLB.
“I think we’ve had five years now of some really good baseball games, really good series, postseason matchups and stuff. But Red Sox-Yankees is 100 years old,” Smith said. “That’s the rivalry in baseball, just from a historical standpoint.
“I’m not taking away from our battles with them, but I just think time and longevity mean something a little bit more than where we’re at with them. But it’s fun, though.”
The Red Sox and Yankees’ rivalry is more than a century old, with the two teams meeting for the first time in 1903. The two AL East rivals have played 2,324 games, and both teams have more than 1,000 wins in the rivalry.
While the Dodgers and Padres have become one of the most exciting rivalries in baseball to watch, the NL West rivals have a long way to go to match the history that lies between New York and Boston.
Betts, who spent the first six years of his career with the Red Sox, agreed with his catcher.
“Playing with the Red Sox, going into that rivalry, it’s not just about baseball. I feel like here it’s mostly just about baseball and who has the best team. It’s a beautiful thing,” Betts said. “I definitely enjoy coming into Petco and hearing all their fans and whatnot. Super loud and it’s a great atmosphere to play baseball. But with the Yankees and Red Sox, it’s baseball but it’s about the cities.”
The Yankees and Red Sox continue to have one of the best rivalries in baseball, and from a historic standpoint, it’s hard to get much better. However, the intensity that’s developed between the Dodgers and Padres over the last five years had made its rivalry must-watch.
All four teams are in the playoff race as the 2025 regular season winds down, with the Red Sox and Yankees vying for an AL wild card spot and the Padres and Dodgers fighting for the top spot in the NL West.
